5 August 2005

DEFRA Biomass Study Task Force

On 15 October 2004, a new Biomass Study was launched to help the Government and the industry develop biomass energy in support of renewable energy targets and sustainable farming and forestry and rural objectives.

The study will run for a year and will be carried out by the Task Force consisting of:

Sir Ben Gill: Farms in Yorkshire and was President of the National Farmers Union until February 2004. Chairman of Westbury Dairies, a director of Hawkhills Consulting, a council member of Food from Britain, a member of the Carnegie Trust Commission on Rural Community Development and of the Governing body of the John Innes Centre in Norwich.

John Roberts CBE: Chief Executive of United Utilities since 1999. A non-executive director of Volex plc and previously a member of the CBI Wales Council and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

Nick Hartley: An economist with Oxera Consulting Ltd. A member of the Council of the British Institute of Energy Economics, the advisory group for Joseph Rowntree “Reconciling Environmental and Social Concerns” Programme and the Low Carbon Vehicles Partnership.

David Clayton from Defra is the Secretary to the Study Team.

The study team will work with industry and other stakeholders to identify barriers and ways to overcome them. The study will look at supply chains, technical issues, planning restrictions and environmental factors. The team will consider international comparisons.